1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a splint, and more particularly to an ambulatory hip fixation-traction splint frame which is capable of applying to a patient with hip fracture, hip disease or other disorders to not only keep the hip of the patient in suitable fixation position but also create ambulatory traction, assist the patient out of the limitation of the bed, have a suitable movement and a convenient nursing, so as to enhance the recovery of the injury area with less complication for old patients especially.
2. Description of Related Arts
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Osteoporosis is one of the major health risks for tens of millions of Americans. Every year osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures, which include 300,000 hip fractures, approximately 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and more than 300,000 other fractures. Patients with osteoporosis may have fractures induced from normal movement action, such as lifting, bending, or accidental falling in different parts of their bodies such as the hip area. Therefore, there is a strong demand for treatment methods for osteoporosis. And in fact, together with those having bones fractures or the like by accident, there is a great number of patients suffering from bones diseases or related problems such as broken bones, bones fractures, hip disorders or other disorders.
Immobilization is one of the most popular and efficient treatment methods for bones diseases or support system related problems, such as bone fractures, broken legs, dislocations, or other bone and joint disorders. Orthoses, such as braces, splints or casts, are widely developed and used for external fixation. Existing methods of immobilization by orthoses as external fixation for areas such as neck, elbow, wrist, knee, or ankle are proved to be very effective and efficient.
Commonly, the immobilization methods could be categorized into three forms: splint immobilization, plaster splint immobilization and small splint immobilization.
Splint immobilization refers to the fixation by a plank, bamboo or sheet metal splint. The drawbacks of this method are inferior fixation, and failure of functional fixation. As a result, this method has been eliminated in clinical practices. Right now, it is merely regarded as a first aid treatment for temporary fixation.
Thanks to its accuracy and application of X-ray technology, fracture and reduction can be seen, plaster splint immobilization, together with its accompanying traction process, has been widely used in practices. This method is based on fracture reduction and has been proved high effectiveness. It is known that plaster immobilization process comprises three characteristics.
(a) Reduction process is usually one-time accomplished by doctor. Here, reduction includes close reduction or open reduction, functional reduction or anatomical reduction.
(b) Immobilization is long range three-point fixation and long time static fixation, plaster shoulder be employed until the full recovery of the fracture. Here, the fixation is external fixation.
(c) Rehabilitation (functional exercising) and post-treatment are concerned so as to recover the normal joint motion and human ability.
Small splint immobilization is purposely devised to satisfy some extents of body movement thereby improving the functional recovery of patients. However, this method needs 4-5 pieces of small splints, willows, and clothed preplasticizing materials working together. Obviously, these stuffs are inconvenient and complicated. Meanwhile, several cords have to be employed for binding the small splints with wounded body thus causing doctor to adjust the cords-binding tightness from time to time to prevent the cord distortion, to match the subsidence of the edema.
Yet there is still no effective or efficient immobilization method for hip fracture or its vicinities. Among existing methods of immobilization by external fixation for hip or thigh diseases, spica cast or splints immobilization for fixing the fracture or injury parts in position are commonly used. However, either a spica cast or a traditional splint is not an ideal method for immobilization, especially for the old. These two common methods, a spica cast or a traditional splint, make patient on bed with extensive fixation for a long time, pose high risk of complications or side effects, such as pressure sores or pneumonia, as well as result to high mortality. In case if too much space is left for allowing movement, these two methods are inadequate for fixation and immobilization.
For some patients, traditional traction can be achieved for the reduction and fixation of unstable fracture. Unfortunately, traditional traction including both skeletal traction and skin traction must be applied on a lying surface such as a bed and balanced by cords with pulleys and weights. Therefore, patients with hip fractures or bone diseases must be laid on a bed if traditional traction is applied for assisting movement. However, since patients with hip fractures or bone diseases usually require a long period of time for recovery, and traditional traction cannot assist patients to have movement out of the bed, patients will ultimately required to lie on the bed for a long period of time. If suitable movement or exercise cannot be accompanied as a recovery treatment, many problems such as pressure sores, pneumonia, and deterioration of healthy organs of the patient may gradually appear and hence adversely affect the life quality and health of the patient. Meanwhile, traction also leads to 50% coax vara, and high mortality.
Meanwhile, small splint immobilization is not suitable for hip portion fracture. For many years, many other methods and attempts have been devoted to treat hip fracture or illness of head of femur. However, the results have been disappointing. For instance, internal fixation by operation risks too much patients' life and is responsible for an enlarged wound area. Extra fixation is required for osteoporosis patients, almost one third of patients with neck fracture suffered nonunion afflictions after the operation, and patients face a second operation to remove affixed means. This method is conflicting with the ultimate surgery goal: micro wound and non-wound.
Similarly, another treating innovation for hip fracture, artificial joint, has a lot of problems, due to its wounding risks, high costs, early and late operation complications. More importantly, foreign body is not favored for the factors of the human body, such as modulus of elasticity, material rejection or irritability, and uneasy abrasiveness. Conclusively, a better local fixation and bone healing will be able to improve treating effects for hip fracture and win overall acclaims in the arts.
Suitable traction or guidance is effective, useful or required for fixation and recovery. Currently, many methods or equipment are developed, but the patient is required to lie on a bed all the time. In addition, traction of lower extremity is a preferred assistant treatment options before and after the operation.
Accordingly, a walking stick is widely used in different situations for providing support to the old, to hikers and to the weak, and walking cast is used for those with broken or fracture bones such as broken ankles, broken fibula, broken shinbone, broken kneecap (patella). When the walking stick or the walking cast is used for providing support to a patient or for orthopedic purposes, it is particularly important that the walking stick or the walking cast is capable of providing a rigid, yet protective and flexible support according to the body movement as being a protective and movable support so as to lessen the load or stress of the patient, and to prevent the collapse of the walking stick and worsen a broken or weakened part of the patient. However, in the case of hip fractures or hip diseases, a walking stick is far from adequate for protection, assisting movement or traction.
For example, if a patient having a hip fracture uses the walking stick for standing or even walking, he will probably fall down and worsen his situation. Hip fracture will lead to chain collapses of support system right from the hip, even though his legs have no problems. If he tries to stand or walk with a stick, great pressure or too much pressure will be applied on his hip, be focused on a weaken part, i.e., the fracture part. This kind of pressure will cause displacement or distortion of his hip, spreading of the fracture area, or even breakage the fracture area. Therefore, existing walking stick is not suitable for assisting movement by traction. The support of a walking stick is not concrete and adequate. If the pressure or stress, which is originally concentrated on the hip especially the hip fracture area, could be spread to, or shared by other parts of the body and hence reduced in the hip area, the possibility of standing or even walking will be highly increased and become possible.
There are also different methods for aiding movement for the injured person with leg traction. For example, a hanging weight support associated with a pulley and a cord, and a bed comprising a rear part which may be uplifted are used together, so that the patient may use his own body weight in aiding movement by traction, such as lifting his lower body or stretching himself, or supporting and moving himself for gaining a certain degree of exercise or moving ability. However, the injured person is still required to lie on his own bed.
There are many disadvantages in lying on a bed. Recovery of our skeleton or support system usually takes time, and it may take several weeks, months or even years. If a patient is required to lie on a bed for a long time, his respiratory system, blood circulation system, digestive system or other healthy parts of support system will be adversely affected or deteriorated due to lack of movement or exercise. In the worst case, certain diseases or symptoms such as inflammation, swollen blood vessels, or even serious complications such as deadly pneumonia may be induced. These diseases are particularly harmful and disastrous to the old and/or the weak patient.
Furthermore, recovery always relies heavily on the emotional stability and status of the patient. If movement ability of the patient is limited or prohibited, serious emotional instability may be caused. When the patient feels that he needs to depend on others or he could not take care himself, he may be upset and unhappy. And this kind of emotional instability will be unavoidably happened from time to time when the movement ability of the injured is lost or limited. Therefore, any equipment which can aid in movement or allowing the patient to have certain degree of movement will greatly promote the recovery of the injured person.
Therefore, there is a need to have a kind of ambulatory hip fixation-traction splint frame, making hip fixation but aiding body movement, and that the splint is capable of providing a rigid, yet protective and flexible support while the move of the injured person, so as to prevent or lessen pressure or force applied on the hip fracture.